Furnace register



May 5, 1931. c, J, HQLUB 1,804,165

FURNACE REGISTER Filed May 7, 1 29 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 .ljlliiiillll lllllllllllll LIL-T INVENTOR May 5, 1931. c. J. HOLUB- FURNACE REGISTER Filed May 7, 1 29 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 XNVENTOR &

M Wxnoawev Patented May 5, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES J. HOL'UIB, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOB TO THE W. LAMNECK COMPANY, OF COLUMBUS; OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO summon anersrnn Application filed May 7,

This invention relates to registers or valved grilles of the type commonly disposed in the floor or wall at the discharge end of a heat conduit.

It is an object of this invention to provide a register having a neat appearance by virtue of the arrangement of the valve shutters. The shutters fold into closed position close to the underside of the grille and open into position where each one is hidden in plan View by a respective cross bar of the grille. It is also another object, arising out of the foregoing, to provide for a reduction of the frictional resistance to the passage of air through the grille of the register, this being accomplished by the aforesaid alignment of the open shutters with the grille bars. Since it is necessary to form the grille bars of suitable weight and thickness to provide a heavy, weight sustaining grille, this disposition of the valve shutters entirely beneath the bars is always convenient and applicable to procure a maximum of area for air passage through the grille.

Another object of the invention is to additionally provide that there is no resistance to the air travel through the grille, when the grille valve is open, other than the grille bars themselves, the construction of the register frame below the valve being such that there are no projections or flanges to interfere with the passage of air.

The conventional register has employed a valve composed of overlapping shutters disposed a considerable distance below the grille,

and the space therebetween has been a constant dust trap and very difiicult to keep clean. Therefore, the present invention has for another object the close fitting of the valve relative to the underside of the grille,'eliminating the space and providing a register which is easily cleaned. A further advantage of the foregoing arrangement of the valve is that the valve may befinished to match the grille and the appearance when closed is extremely neat and the impression not that of a 'blask hole in the floor, the latter condition existing in the ordinary register. 7

Another object is to provide a register whi h is of a minimum depth as an aid in shipping and storing the same and considerably decreasing its weight.

Other objects relate to the interfitting arrang'ement of the shutters of the valve forming a dust proof closure, and to the particular means for operating the valve.

Further objects and advantages will be more fully set forth in a description of the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a top plan view of the register, or valve grille, portions of the grille bars being broken away to illustrate the joints of the valve. I

Figure 2 is a sectional viewtaken on line 22, Figure 1, illustrating the pivotal mounting of the shutters and showing the operating means therefor. v

Figure 3 is a bottom view of the register.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4:, Figure 1, showing the valve closed'and detailing'the connections between the shutters and the operating means.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the same line as Figure 4 but showing the valve open, this view illustrating the vertical alignment of the shutters with the grille bars.

Figure 6is a sectional view taken on line 6- 6, Figure 5, illustrating a shutter of the valve in open position.

Referring to the drawings, the register or valved grille described in general comprises a frame 10, valve shutters 11, and a valve'opcrating slide 12. The frame, containing the grille proper, embodies a depending integral valve housing entirely open at the bottom and constituted by side walls '13. The upper opening of the housing is therefore, of grille formation, having the grille cross bars 14, 15, extending at right angles to each other and forming rectangular openings. j

A support flange 16 extends laterally from the upper edges of the closure portion, this flange being adapted to engage, for support, the'margin of the floor about the floor opening and conduit outlet into which the valve housing of the register is customarily-hung. The valve housing portion depending into the floor opening is extremely shallow, being only of suflicient depth to house and mount nan elements the valve. The. frame is preferably integrally cast and due to the decreased depth, is relatively light in weight for convenient storage and shipping and economy in production.

The shutters ll of the series making up the valve are pivotally mounted or hinged across the housing portion, each one thereof being attached for pivotal movement in the opposing walls 13 directly below the parallel bars 14 of the grille. Regarding a shutter in detail, it includes a rolled end 17 forming a pivot or hinge tube, a flat valve width portion, and an outer swinging end portion depressed from the upper face forming a semicircular groove or bead 18. The purpose of the depressed portion will be hereinafter described. Each shutter also has an end flange 19 bent downwardly at right angles from one end of the flat valve portion thereof, this flange constituting the portion or means through which the valve shutter is controlled or actuated.

The shutters are hung or pivotally mounted in the frame by insertion of an extension or hub 20 of the pivot tube portion in an opening in the side wall of the frame, and a dog point screw 21 is engaged through the opposite wall of the closure and has its dog point extending, as a bearing, into the other end of the pivot tube abutting the aforesaid opposite wall.

The screws are axially aligned with the respective apertures and the shutters are thereby pivoted in parallelism, each being directly vertically disposed parallel to and beneath a respective bar of the grille. As will be apparent from Figure 2, the pivots of the shutters are placed close to the underside of the grille so that when the shutters are closed or in horizontal position they lie substantially against the underside of the grille. The slide 12 is formed of a fiat strip of metal and lies against the inner surface of a side wall of the frame adjoining the flanged ends of the shutters.

The slide is supported on the hubs 20 of the shutters, having horizontally or longitudinally elongated slots 22 formed therein traversed by the hubs of the shutters, permitting longitudinal sliding movement of the slide relative to the fixed pivots of the shutters.

Cam connections are provided between this slide and each shutter for simultaneous actuation of the shutters, these connections each consisting o Pin 23 n h s n r ot in the corresponding or adjacent flanges of the shutters. The pins 21 extend inwardly and are of sufiicient length to fully traverse the slots.

The slide is manipulated by means of a slide block 26 secured to the upper surface of a right angle extension 27 of the slide, this extension engaging against the underside of ,thegrille. The block is slidable in a slot 28 in the grille and has its upper face flush with the surface of the grille, whereby the block may be actuated either by hand or by foot engagement.

Regarding the relation of the pins and slots in Figure 4, which view illustrates the shutters in closed position, the slots are of double curved formation so that the pins engage a curved surface 25 for imparting a downward or almost vertical movement to the outer end of the shutter. The slots are thus formed in order to easily move the slide from the closed position, in which the pins are substantially longitudinally aligned with the hinge pivots of the shutters. After this relation is broken, the action of the pins against the slot sides is almost lateral relative to the slot, and in continued swinging (see Figure 5) of the shutter into open position there is a gradually decreasing camming action.

The same thing is true in the reverse during the closing movement of the valve, for during the initial closing movement the thrust is almost lateral and is gradually converted into an upward cam action of the pin against the slot edges. The slots may be said to have a double curve, the respective curves of the slots being in reverse directions.

The pins as shown in Figure 4: are set into the horizontal extreme ends of the slots, this positioning when the valve is closed preventing accidental displacement, it being apparent that a force applied vertically on the shutter would have no effect in opening the valve. The pins must be moved horizontal to break the connection.

Theshutters when fully opened (see Figure 5) are in each instance vertically aligned with the bars of the grille and are consequently entirely hidden from view from above, and furthermore do not interfere in any way with the passage of air through the grille.

In closed position, the outer semicircular ends of the shutters in each instance encircle the underside of the tubular pivot portion of the adjacent shutter, this engagement sealing the connection between the various shutter elements of the valve. The top valve surface formed by the closed aligned shutters is flush and may be painted to match the grille. This surface being relatively close to the grille may be easily cleaned by means of a vacuum cleaner.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. A device of the class described, comprising, a grille frame, a series of valve shutters pivoted to said frame, each of said shutters having its axis disposed along its upper edge, a slide bar mounted in said frame for operating the series simultaneously, the operative connection between said slide bar and shutters comprising pins on the bar and the shutters having slots below their pivotal connections traversed by said pins, and the slots f formed for permitting the pins to impart a camming action to the shutters.

2. A register, comprising, a frame, a series of shutters hinged in said frame, a slide bar mounted in said frame for movement at right angles to the hinges of said shutters, said shutters having slotted end flanges abutting the slide bar, pins in said slide bar each traversing a respective slot, and said slots of double curved formation terminating toward the outer ends of the shutter flanges in a portion horizontally disposed when the shutters are closed.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name.

CHARLES J. HOLUB. 

